Party's Over At Nightclub

Settlement Closes Rowdy Cricket's

The nightclub at 4345 N. Pine Island Road in Pine Plaza shut its doors last week after a settlement was reached with plaza owner Leisure Colony Management, said Cricket's attorney Howard Kusnick.

"They paid us money and it's closed," Kusnick said on Monday. He declined to elaborate.

Cricket's owner Peter Starson could not be reached for comment.

Leisure Colony Management had been seeking to evict the nightclub since April, saying the business was not living up to its lease because it was crowded and dangerous.

Jeffrey Gilbert, the attorney for Leisure Colony Management, could not be reached for comment on Monday. The phone at Cricket's had a recording on Monday that said it was temporarily disconnected.

The club gained notoriety earlier this year when gunfire, fights and bottle-throwing repeatedly broke out in its parking lot. Police made dozens of arrests there, for everything from battery and drug possession to carrying concealed weapons.

Crowds of 1,000 outside the nightclub were common, and residents from nearby apartments complained to city commissioners about loud noise and traffic.

In late April, Leisure Colony Management sought an injunction against Cricket's in hopes of getting the club shut down while the eviction case went through the courts.

Broward Circuit Judge Estella Moriarty refused but did order the club to stay within its maximum capacity of 299 people and restrict its line outside to no more than 40 people.